Passenger Trains > Ex Metroliner Cab Cars Keep Soldiering On

someone in one of the threads below asked about the ex metroliner cab cars and how many are soldiering on ... well since the Keystones between Harrisburg and NYP require the bulk of the here's their home base shop in Philly's Penn Coach Yard at 30th St cab cars ... here they're kept on a strict maintenance rotation to make sure they keep soldiering on ...

below is a photo of an Amtrak YP-1 yard crew at the shop to pick up one of the cab cars that has just had some TLC work done ... this yard shift is a daily routine shuffling cars in and out of the shop ... if need be the shop can fit 4 cab cars simultaneously ...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/15 06:49 by Out_Of_Service.

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Boy do I remember running those!   Both to San Diego and San Luis Obispo.  Really tiny space for the engineer.

whistlepig Wrote:
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> Boy do I remember running those!   Both to San
> Diego and San Luis Obispo.  Really tiny space
> for the engineer.

did you ever see the cab of a GG1?

bluesboyst Wrote:
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> whistlepig Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Boy do I remember running those!   Both to
> San
> > Diego and San Luis Obispo.  Really tiny space
> > for the engineer.
>
> did you ever see the cab of a GG1?

i did many many times ... you could fit 3 cab car cabs in a G cab ...

Back in the San Diegan days, those were the smokers.  My first run for Amtrak was in one of those on 580.

Reading the word "soldiering" as "soldering". 

Allen Greer
Frontier Motel & Cafe, Truxton, AZ

whistlepig Wrote:
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> Boy do I remember running those!   Both to San
> Diego and San Luis Obispo.  Really tiny space
> for the engineer.

to show how small the cabs were, here's a few interior shots of the cab car on the first AC Line test train back in early part of '89 ... i was the pilot for qualifying train crews on the AC Line so they could identify signals, interlockings and grade crossings ... i can't remember the engineer's name but i do know he had a twin brother who was also an engineer ...

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one more ... the view out the window has the train in Girard interlocking heading eastbound on #1 track approaching Mantua (pronounced Man-Chua) interlocking on the Schuylkill River stone arch bridge ...

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I always thought it was crazy running those out here in California with all our grade crossings.

There was a suggestion box in the LA crew base and I dropped a suggestion they name the cars.
To start the ball rolling I submitted:
"Silver Widow Maker"
and
"Silver Fiery Death".

Like oh so many of my ideas, Amtrak chose to ignore this one too.
SR

we had 59 grade crossings between Westfield Ave in Pennsauken,NJ MP 4.# i believe and Pomona Rd in Pomona,NJ MP 56.# i believe ... so the same sentiment was shared here although Amtrak got lucky with no big incident with the cab cars at the Xings ... it's been 30 years so forgive me if my quoted MPs are off a bit ...

My uncle Charleys house was next to the Pomona Rd crossing FWTW.
Clarence G
 

Are these cars still in service?

JGFuller Wrote:
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> Are these cars still in service?

Yes, on the Keystone and Springfield - New Haven trains.

Dave

One cab car was totalled on the Springfield shuttle sometime in the last 6 - 12 months.
Given the horrible grade-crossing experience the Santa Fe RDC's had at grade-crossings, inlcuding the San Diegans, it was insensitive of Amtrak to force the issue with cab cars on the San Diegans.

The Sante Fe San Diego wreck had nothing to do with a grade crossing. I believe it was speed around a curve next to the Amtrak shops

Um, well, true....
But it doesn't mean Amtrak isn't insensitive..
SR

They did some work on 9639 to put a 26 brake schedule right in front of you like the one in the first picture.  Then they put the bell right under the engineer, really annoying.

Tons of crossings here between SPG and NHV. They're still earing their keep.
I'm trying to find the picture I have of one back in the mid-late 70's running as a Metroliner at a crossign crash with the vechile actually on fire, while on the pilot.
Crew was okay.


-Tom

whistlepig Wrote:
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> They did some work on 9639 to put a 26 brake
> schedule right in front of you like the one in the
> first picture.  Then they put the bell right
> under the engineer, really annoying.

I believe that's the one that was totalled a few months ago in the Springfield shuttle collision/derailment!

hsr_fan Wrote:  Good riddance!  That 26 was right in front of you.  Hope nobody was hurt in the wreck.
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> whistlepig Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They did some work on 9639 to put a 26 brake
> > schedule right in front of you like the one in
> the
> > first picture.  Then they put the bell right
> > under the engineer, really annoying.
>
> I believe that's the one that was totalled a few
> months ago in the Springfield shuttle
> collision/derailment!